Blooming marvellous – catch spring flowers at these gardens and trails (2024)

Spring is here, and with the prospect of sunnier and longer days, a stroll among the flowers is an ideal way to get some fresh air.

First a little Luxembourgish lesson on spring flowers. Early seasonal blooms include Ouschterblumm (daffodil or narcissus), Tulp (tulip), and Krokus (ok, that one doesn’t really need a translation). You’ll have to wait until May for the wonderful Rous or Rose blooms which bring colour to some of Luxembourg’s most pretty gardens but now is the time to catch flowering magnolias and cherry tree blossom.

We’ve listed several gardens open to the public and trails in the Grand Duchy that burst into bloom in spring, but if you are city-based, you can find little pockets of seasonal flowers in the smaller parks and places listed below.

In the capital - pockets of blooms

Whilst the city has a green lung, there are a few select places to find the colours of spring. In particular the Petrusse parks are planted with daffodils and crocuses, and have several blossom trees to wander past during a leisurely stroll. You will also find a spectacular magnolia tree opposite the Gelle Fra, with more an Avenue Marie-Thérèse.

If nothing but roses will do, head to Rousegaart op de Rondellen in May, located on the Saint-Esprit Plateau and home to several varieties of locally cultivated roses. This rose balcony offers some stunning views into Grund and the medicinal gardens opposite Neumunster Abbey. Alternatively head to the neat little rose arboretum at Merl Park.

In Limpertsberg the Tony Neumann Park has luscious flower beds filled with daffodils, tulips, roses and several other varieties of flowers. There are also sculptures on display including Henri Laurens “The Grand Musician” and Lucien Wercollier’s marble sculpture “L’envol”.

In Limpertsberg the Tony Neumann Park has luscious flower beds filled with daffodils, tulips, roses and several other varieties of flowers. There are also sculptures on display including Henri Laurens “The Grand Musician” and Lucien Wercollier’s marble sculpture “L’envol”.

For blossoming trees with a panoramic view head to the Kirchberg’s Central Park, a recreational green space behind the national sports centre d’Coque, which also has a pretty lake. If you’re at Auchan getting some shopping, venture down the side road Rue Carlo Hemmer to be treated to a man-made esplanade trailing with beautiful flowering Wisteria (careful not to touch them, as the flowers are poisonous), which flower from April to June and sometimes in August too.

You can download a brochure of a walking tour of Luxembourg City’s gardens and parks or book a tour with the Luxembourg City Tourist Office here.

Via Botanica – a wild daffodil carpet

This 7.5km circular trail in the Oesling village of Lellingen near Wiltz will take you through a carpet of wild daffodils or Lorblumen that appear from mid-March through April. The trail, which takes about two-and-a-half hours to complete, goes through woodland filled with oaks and conifers and then via pretty meadows and heathland dotted with beautiful yellow-flowering broom bushes.

Follow the Via Botanica signs from the village church. Whilst there are some uphill segments, there are also several benches to catch your breath and take in the beautiful scenery. The area lies within the Nature Park Our, which hosts events such as a walk to discover the herb pharmacy or how to care for and prune your fruit trees.

If you don’t have a car, you can take the train to Wilwerwiltz and follow the cycle path PC21 for 2km to Lellingen, which crosses the River Clerve and passes a chapel dedicated to Saint Willibrord.

Rose Garden at Chateau de Munsbach

The work of Lëtzebuerger Rousefrënn (Luxembourg Rose Friends) and the municipality of Schuttrange, this garden was lovingly created in 2017 next to Munsbach Castle. Here you’ll find 600 different rose types, both old and new, celebrating the rose-growing cultivation Luxembourg was famed for in the early 20^th century. It even has its own rose, the “Chateau de Munsbach”, a hybrid musk rose, butter yellow in colour, which opens up in clusters of 30 flowers. You can buy rose soap, treatment for your rose bushes and several beautiful books about Luxembourg’s roses here.

Chateau de Munsbach was built in 1775 in Baroque style and originally used as a manor. It was transformed into a castle with the addition of two towers at the end of the 19^th century. It hosts the annual Rose Fest in September. You can’t visit the castle as it is an administrative building housing the Centre for Socio-emotional Development but you can try the country’s first open-air mindfulness trail (Achtsamkeitspfad), which was inaugurated in 2021.

The mindfulness trail follows nine stations which invite the walker to experience a moment in mindfulness. There are also information panels with QR codes for audio descriptions in English, Luxembourgish, French and German. Accessible to people with reduced mobility, the trail takes between 60 to 90 minutes to complete.

Cherry blossoms at the gardens of Grand-Château d’Ansembourg

Head to the valley of the Seven Castles to visit these gardens open to the public from 10.00 to 18.00 on certain days – you can find details of the opening hours here. The castle is in private hands and not open to the public, except during European Heritage Days in September.

The gardens are beautifully laid out in Baroque style, with formal avenues and dotted with sculptures such as the avenue of mythological statues. They also contain hidden fountains (look out for the carved monkeys), a fish pond and a small maze.

The gardens are beautifully laid out in Baroque style, with formal avenues and dotted with sculptures such as the avenue of mythological statues. They also contain hidden fountains (look out for the carved monkeys), a fish pond and a small maze.

If you’re on the hunt for blossom trees, then the garden has many species of cherry and other fruits plus a garden of roses.

At the rear of the house you’ll find four statues representing four continents, depicting Africa in chains. There is also a double-headed eagle in recognition of the Austro-Hungarian monarch who ennobled the chateau’s former owners.

Cherry blossoms of Saint Donat Church in Arlon

Take the train to Arlon in Belgium and visit the grounds of Saint-Donat Church. The Church was built in 1626 but restored in the 19th and 20th centuries. It is surrounded by a green lawned Belvedere, from which you can take in views of Arlon but also enjoy the gorgeous cherry blossom trees that flank the Belvedere.

Tulips at Domaine Thermal, Mondorf-les-Bains

If you don’t have the time or energy to visit the tulip fields in The Netherlands, then this is the park for you. It’s home to more than 70,000 tulips, plus a herb garden and a rose arboretum.

The 45 hectare park was created in 1886 by French landscape artist Edouard André and was designed for rest and contemplation. He also designed the capital’s municipal park, which incorporates some simpler flower beds.

The Mondorf park is also home to 21 sculptures by local and international artists, including a giant tulip created by Frantz Kinnen and the famous “Mim-Maus Kätti”, a bronze sculpture by Wil Lofy depicting the well-known country mouse from the August Liesch fable. You can also discover the “Lioness and cubs”, installed in 1905 and which blends in effortlessly with the weathered rock it sits on.

The Mondorf park is also home to 21 sculptures by local and international artists, including a giant tulip created by Frantz Kinnen and the famous “Mim-Maus Kätti”, a bronze sculpture by Wil Lofy depicting the well-known country mouse from the August Liesch fable. You can also discover the “Lioness and cubs”, installed in 1905 and which blends in effortlessly with the weathered rock it sits on.

There are several sculpture trails and parks in Luxembourg and you can discover them in the article below.

While in Mondorf-les-Bains, why not visit the aviation musuem, try out some golf or boating, or take a historical trail of the town, with more information in the article below.

Jardin de Wiltz

This small 2.5 hectare public garden in Wiltz was designed as a form of living art. Created and maintained by a group of artists, craftsmen, people with disabilities, and the long-term unemployed, it was founded in 1983 by Der Blaue Kompressor, and is openyear round. The terraces and ponds are home to wildlife and sculptures, and dotted with flowering shrubs.

Since the garden is quite small, you can add a walking tour of Wiltz to your itinerary. There are two cultural trails – the 3km yellow trail takes you through the upper town including the Jardin de Wiltz, or the red trail that goes down to Nieder-Wiltz bridge, past the sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima, and Luxembourg’s last windmill, on a 4.5km route. You can download a PDF plan of the town and these trails here.

For more information on Wiltz, the Martyr town, read our Inside Luxembourg article below.

French flower garden at Municipal Park Gaalgebierg

Esch-sur-Alzette’s main park is accessible in a few minutes by foot via the Passerelle from Boulevard JF Kennedy and the main train and bus station area (equipped with a lift for those with reduced mobility). Gaalgebierg actually means “hill of the gallows”, as it was a site of execution in the 17^th century. Today there is no sign of an execution scaffold but you can stroll through the wonderful French-style flower gardens which contain beds of tulips, daffodils and narcissus in spring, and roses later in the season. It’s also a place to discover secret pathways into the forested areas.

Esch-sur-Alzette’s main park is accessible in a few minutes by foot via the Passerelle from Boulevard JF Kennedy and the main train and bus station area (equipped with a lift for those with reduced mobility). Gaalgebierg actually means “hill of the gallows”, as it was a site of execution in the 17^th century. Today there is no sign of an execution scaffold but you can stroll through the wonderful French-style flower gardens which contain beds of tulips, daffodils and narcissus in spring, and roses later in the season. It’s also a place to discover secret pathways into the forested areas.

Sporty types can combine it with a game of basketball or tennis on the courts provided in the park or just enjoy watching a game of pétanque whilst the children have fun in the adjacent playground.

If you are prepared to take the route uphill you will come across the Escher Déierepark where you can feed goats, sheep, deer and highland cattle with fodder provided on site and see rabbits, geese and the very cute little raccoons that call this animal park home.